Training and Development Specialist Interview Questions & Answers

Training and development specialists plan and administer programs that improve the skills and knowledge of their employees.

Interviewers look for candidates that demonstrate excellent skills such as:

• Communication skills
• Creative skills
• Instructional skills
• Analytical skills

In this blog, we discuss commonly asked interview questions during job interviews for training and development specialist positions. We also discuss the qualities that interviewers look for in successful candidates. In other words, we’re here to help you out!

Also, read more about frequently asked job interview questions here and check our job interview preparation checklist.

Skills Interviewers Look For In Successful Candidates

Below we discuss the skills you can highlight in your answers to demonstrate that you’re qualified for the job.

Analytical skills

Why interviewers are interested in your analytical skills:

Training and development specialists must evaluate training programs, methods, and materials and choose those that best fit each situation.

Communication skills

Why interviewers are interested in your communication skills:

Specialists need strong interpersonal skills because delivering training programs requires collaboration with instructors, trainees, and subject-matter experts. They accomplish much of their work through teams. Specialists must communicate information clearly and facilitate learning by diverse audiences.

Learn more about communication interview questions and how to answer them!

Creative skills

Why interviewers are interested in your creative skills:

Specialists should be creative when developing training materials. They may need to think of and implement new approaches, such as new technology, when evaluating existing training methods.

Learn more about creative interview questions and how to answer them!

Instructional skills

Why interviewers are interested in your instructional skills:

Training and development specialists often deliver training programs to employees. They use various teaching techniques and sometimes must adapt their methods to meet the needs of particular groups.

(source: bls.gov)

Training and Development Specialist Job Interview Questions & Answers

During a job interview, the hiring manager wants to discuss several things. Think of your:

• Employment history
• Skills and abilities
• Accomplishments
• Job qualifications
• Educational background
• Career goals
• Personality

Below you find a list of commonly asked interview questions.

Examples Of General Training and Development Specialist Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How would you describe yourself?
3. Why do you want to work here?
4. What interests you about this position?
5. Walk me through your resume.
6. What motivates you?
7. Why are you leaving your current job?
8. Describe your work ethic.
9. What is your greatest strength?
10. How does your experience qualify you for this job?
11. What is your greatest weakness?
12. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
13. Tell me about a challenging work situation and how you overcame it.
14. What are your expectations for this position?
15. What are your career goals?
16. Why should we hire you?
17. What did you like most about your last position?
18. What did you like least about your last position?
19. How do you handle stress?
20. What is your greatest accomplishment?

Learn how to answer these common job interview questions!

Examples Of Specific Training and Development Specialist Behavioral Interview Questions

Learn more about answering behavioral interview questions by using the STAR interview technique.

1. Walk me through the process of how you identify an individual’s training needs.
2. Do you have experience with creating training materials from scratch? Give me an example.
3. How do you discuss career goals and options with employees? How do you identify their strengths and weaknesses?
4. What do you think are essential skills for a training and development specialist to be successful?
5. How do you identify the training needs of employees? Describe how you make a skills gap analysis.
6. Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a colleague about the training and development program. How did you solve it?
7. Describe the most challenging training and development scenario you have faced. How did you handle it?
8. Tell me about a time you were under pressure in your training and development work. How did you handle it?
9. How would you motivate colleagues to take an optional course that would benefit the company?
10. What is your experience with e-learning software?
11. How do you determine the effectiveness of a training and development program? What do you think is the best way to evaluate how a training and development program impacts the performance of employees.
12. Tell me how you go about outsourcing the training and development of employees. How do you determine who is the best partner and program to work with?
13. Walk me through an in-house training and development program that you have organized.
14. Describe a time you struggled to communicate a message to a new colleague. How did you manage to get your message across?
15. What has been the most difficult decision you had to make as a professional training and development specialist?
16. Tell me how you plan, organize, and prioritize your day-to-day work.
17. What has been the biggest accomplishment in your career as a training and development specialist? How did you achieve it?
18. Describe the best method, in your opinion, to improve the negotiation skills of a sales team member.
19. How would you go about persuading management to invest more in employee training and development if you thought it would be beneficial for the company?
20. Walk me through how you go about the onboarding of new hires. What training suggestions do you think are essential?

Learn more about questions to ask the interviewer during your job interview.